Australia’s first female behavioural optometrist Ms Margaret Banks has passed away aged 97.
Banks – who died on 11 February 2024 – was also one of the first female optometrists in Victoria, a Fellow of the Australian College of Optometry (FACO) and a life member of the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists (ACBO).
Notably, she was a recipient of an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2005 for service to children with vision impairments through contributions in the field of behavioural optometry.
According to Melbourne optometrist Mr Paul Croucher, Banks practised in Canterbury for 40 years and was an early devotee to behavioural optometry as practised in the US.
“This was two decades before the establishment of ACBO,” he said.
“From the late 1970s to the early 1990s she opened her home for a monthly study group where optometrists could meet and discuss issues related to children’s vision care and concepts of behavioural optometry. She was as gracious as she was hospitable at these meetings.”
As a young optometrist, Croucher said he found these evenings inspirational, realising he could contribute beyond refractions and referral of pathology in his working day.
“She produced the Banks red-green rings which have been a cornerstone piece of equipment in vision therapy for over 50 years,” he said.
“She leaves a large family, who loved her dearly and a better and grateful optometric community.”
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